tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77315824245767504292024-03-06T01:10:52.672-05:00The B.A.R.F. BlogUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger111125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731582424576750429.post-46159943472273086802010-02-08T22:56:00.000-05:002010-02-08T22:57:28.644-05:00Riley Has Passed On<a href="http://healthyhoundz.blogspot.com/2010/02/riley-has-passed-on.html">click here</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731582424576750429.post-41131725758532349812009-02-21T19:10:00.001-05:002009-02-21T19:12:33.098-05:00Henry On His Walk<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJINJw5auiSVp9DWRS8OpkSB92m4kMIUvbhqgy8xnbY96m2DWLLa4GXDvj96qcxHIZFldS8QKT6YMcKdMLwTpaXS8na_qpmoF37R-VmvhhhQs_CZzdo540gt_CzVYT1vRgjsaLqiiYJQj5/s1600-h/100_2174.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305407680796005602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJINJw5auiSVp9DWRS8OpkSB92m4kMIUvbhqgy8xnbY96m2DWLLa4GXDvj96qcxHIZFldS8QKT6YMcKdMLwTpaXS8na_qpmoF37R-VmvhhhQs_CZzdo540gt_CzVYT1vRgjsaLqiiYJQj5/s400/100_2174.jpg" border="0" /></a> Henry is such a good walker, always stays right by my side. =) A great ambassadog for greyhounds!<br /><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731582424576750429.post-15573873729624414972009-01-01T18:49:00.008-05:002009-07-18T12:12:33.373-04:00A General UpdateHi everyone, sorry to have been AWOL. Thought I'd give everyone a general update. Henry lost a declaw a couple weeks ago. It started out that it was loose, I called the Vet and she said wrap it (not too tight) and hopefully it will callous over. Henry managed to get his vet wrap off when I was not looking, and ended up amputating the dewclaw by himself 95%. By this time it was late evening and my husband was at work, and had the van (our only vehicle) and we were in the middle of a blizzard. I called the vet, and she said if you can pull it off cleanly without traumatizing him, do it. Otherwise see if he can get it off the rest of the way himself. So I waited to see if Henry could get the rest of the dewclaw off himself. He would lick his dewclaw gently, but that was it. Henry started to pant and have Focal seizures from the stress and pain. I gave him an extra grain of Phenobarbital per the Vet's instructions. I then managed to cleanly pull the dewclaw off. Fortunately it came off with ease as it was barely hanging on. I put Neosporin on the area and gently wrapped it in gauze and vetwrap and right away Henry felt alot better. I put him on Cephalexin (antibiotic) as a pre-caution. I am happy to say this antibiotic caused absolutely no problems with Henry's epilepsy, unlike Flagyl, another antibiotic.<br /><br />By the way, Henry is 88 days Grand-Mal free today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731582424576750429.post-27637922307531503342008-10-10T18:58:00.001-04:002008-10-10T18:59:39.559-04:00Just so ya'll know, I have been doing most of my posting over at <a href="http://healthyhoundz.blogspot.com/">Healthy Houndz</a> lately.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731582424576750429.post-15991497697610087552008-10-08T11:45:00.000-04:002008-10-08T11:46:18.898-04:00Latest Entry At Healthy Hounds<a href="http://healthyhoundz.blogspot.com/2008/10/seizure-monster.html">Seizure Monster</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731582424576750429.post-15937166406153426802008-10-05T22:46:00.003-04:002008-10-05T22:56:55.860-04:00Valium Is Our Best Friend Today<OBJECT class=BLOG_video_class id=BLOG_video-c949fb3b21ecdf8c height=266 width=320 contentId="c949fb3b21ecdf8c"></OBJECT><br />A little after 10 pm, Henry started up with the panting again. I knew what was coming. Next would have been crying, and them trembling, and then BOOM, another Grand-Mal. I'm not taking any chances. I gave Henry one dose of rectal Valium at 10:30pm. I was going to dose him per vet's instructions within 30 minutes if pre-seizure behavior did not stop. About 10 minutes after administering the rectal Valium, the panting stopped. Thank goodness for Valium! <br /><br />I think I may have to keep him drugged up on Valium until his regular meds begin to take effect. Hopefully within 3 days the Phenobarbital will be kicking in.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731582424576750429.post-6765467534771547382008-10-05T18:27:00.009-04:002008-10-05T19:05:11.080-04:00An Update~<OBJECT class=BLOG_video_class id=BLOG_video-558ccd926fa2d103 height=266 width=320 contentId="558ccd926fa2d103"></OBJECT><br />Henry is doing alot better. He is still on the bed and hasn't left it since we got home from the vet this morning around 11am. He is awake, and looking around. No more panting, crying or shivering. He seems unsure. Probably a mix of fear of ever going through that nightmare again, and also the meds probably have him a little loopy. <br /><br />I'll gladly take loopy over what he was like before we went to the vet, and I'm sure Henry agrees. <br /><br />In the next few weeks, the side effects of his seizure meds will be at their worst. And as the medicine begins to really take effect, and do it's job at it's best, the side effects will not be as strong become alot more bearable. <br /><br />A few side effects I expect: <br /><br />~extreme hunger <br /><br />~ataxia in rear legs <br /><br />~extra thirst, that one will stay. <br /><br />~incontinence. <br /><br />Within about 1-4 months, there will be improvement both in less side effects and less seizures. <br /><br />If Henry begins his panting, crying and shivering again, I am going to give him a Valium right then rather than wait until he seizes. <br /><br />I had never seen him on Valium before, and I really like how it almost instantly cured the panting, crying and shivering, and best of all, stopped the cluster! <br /><br />You all know I tend to be anti-drug, but sometimes it just really isn't a choice to go without. I'm still going to do all I can in giving Henry the best diet and everything else. I believe it all plays a part and Henry needs ALL the help he can get. <br /><br />Maybe the drugs will shorten his life in the long run, or maybe they won't, but I sincerely believe the drugs saved his life and he would be dead right now if it were not for drugs.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731582424576750429.post-30272953521459164982008-10-05T10:38:00.000-04:002008-10-05T10:40:14.628-04:00Home From Vet After a Cluster Of 5 Grand-Mals<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Kw6wV_bE6HNBlzN4pRqJ-kpwwo_UsSe0CBBYIWMGeo32EUQsQ6k8WI7uuq1Lmlb09qfRThhOyDXz6WgNuoHjh5Bxq0UqnYnfiXjIqCCvU4-aZAQ1dGoCUiVwteAktkPvz5865liVv44H/s1600-h/100_1327.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Kw6wV_bE6HNBlzN4pRqJ-kpwwo_UsSe0CBBYIWMGeo32EUQsQ6k8WI7uuq1Lmlb09qfRThhOyDXz6WgNuoHjh5Bxq0UqnYnfiXjIqCCvU4-aZAQ1dGoCUiVwteAktkPvz5865liVv44H/s400/100_1327.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253679425177468418" /></a><br /><br />Henry had 5 Grand-Mals in the last day and a half. The last two were only an hour and a half apart. We rushed to the vet. The vet gave Henry a hefty shot of valium and he is out of it at the moment. Medication right now that we are trying is<br /><br />1 1/2 1 grain phenobarb pills twice daily<br /><br />250 mg/ml potassium bromide 2ml twice daily <--the vet says that one just for awhile, then wean Henry off that later when pheno is doing the job.<br /><br />Milk thistle 150 mg. Forgot to ask if this was once daily or twice daily. Will get that at health food store<br /><br />Rectal valium as needed. <br /><br />Continuing with homecooked.<br /><br />We are all feeling pretty fried over here. I hope Henry never has to go through that ever again.<br /><br />Henry is just one of those really severe epilepsy cases, and he needs ALL the help he can get, both in conventional meds, natural meds, and homecooked diet.<br /><br />I really, really tried to go with no meds. For Henry it just can't be done.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731582424576750429.post-3659750047460389562008-10-04T20:28:00.002-04:002008-10-04T20:31:10.675-04:00What May Have Been The TriggerTo celebrate Henry's 1 month anniversary of no seizures, I made him meatloaf muffins. Henry is very sensitive to chicken. Pets who are sensitive to chicken, it turns out are often sensitive to eggs. The combo of Henry being out of alignment, and the eggs he had on both Sept. 29th and Sept. 31st led to the two cluster seizures of the last 24 hours.<br /><br />*feeling a major guilt trip*Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731582424576750429.post-22949874845258818252008-10-04T17:24:00.008-04:002008-10-04T21:18:35.726-04:00=(Henry broke his 35 day streak and seized last night at 10:20 pm. It was so severe I was not able to apply ice pack as he was flying all over. I have bruises and a gazillion scratches on my inner left calf from when I was trying to stop his head from banging the wall so hard. It sounded like a jackhammer in our bedroom. I imagine Henry's head is sore today. The post-ictal was TERRIBLE. Henry cried all night. I sang our special song to him softly over and over and kept him cool and did occular compression and took him for a walk around the block at 2 am. He slept in our bed, which he NEVER does when we are in the bed.<br /><br />He was post-ictal still when we woke. He was finally resting comfortably at about 4:30 pm, and at 5:10, he went into another Grand-Mal. This time, while it was still bad, it wasn't like last nights and I was able to apply the ice-pack which helped tremendously. Henry is walking around the house a little bit. He's nowhere near as bad as he was last night. Let's hope the worst is over.<br /><br />Not a good day for Henry. =(<br /><br /><br />UPDATE: Henry received an emergency chiropractic adjustement this evening. He was pretty far out of alignment.<br /><br />UPDATE #2: Chiropractor did warn me, that since Henry was so out of alignment, he may once again get worse before better. So we had a nagging fear Henry may seize one more time. And he did, at 9pm. This one milder than the last two, and extra short thanks to ice pack. In the ten minutes before the last Grand-mal started, Henry started crying and trembling and panting. Then in the 30 seconds prior to it starting, he got up from next to me on the sofa, walked over to his nest bed, and fell over stiff right before he made it. I flew for ice-pack and was able to stop it pretty quick.<br /><br />You know, with each Grand-Mal. He empties his bowels out more. Hopefully he has all that egg out now. (read above post about trigger)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731582424576750429.post-2165233262913406932008-09-30T18:16:00.002-04:002008-09-30T18:34:11.542-04:00One Month Of NO Grand-Mals!!! Woo Hooo!!!!!!!Hi everybuddy! I know my Mommy was supposed to post pikshurs of my speshul day yesterday, but I noticed she stills has not done that, so I am taking matters into my own paws and telling you about my speshul day myself! Yesterday, we celebrated that I finally made I one full month with NO Grand-Mals! Here are some pikshurs of how my day went~<br /><br /><div align="center">First, (after my homecooked breakfast of course) I take my usual looong nap, while the hoomans get homeskool done. My Mommy says this is the nice thing about greyhounds, we sleep alot.<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkhDmy313jfd7-u5S13EPuge7-PqnL-bF_9sYrrKPD60_tkM7KMLCJ1qFq7bEcpfGWqDUG380wpe6DYg7wIppO6VeEhOobvkuMJTEZhNJX6iHy9mmrkOozm6-jt8AAw_n4-4xK79lS5h2q/s1600-h/100_1268.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251943038314494850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkhDmy313jfd7-u5S13EPuge7-PqnL-bF_9sYrrKPD60_tkM7KMLCJ1qFq7bEcpfGWqDUG380wpe6DYg7wIppO6VeEhOobvkuMJTEZhNJX6iHy9mmrkOozm6-jt8AAw_n4-4xK79lS5h2q/s400/100_1268.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a></p><br /><br />After homeskool all done, Mommy put a speshul bandana on me to help signify my speshul day, and we all went to the State Park. (All except our kitty. She doesn't care for that stuff)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNN2tAmUV4cwEGXq66uT_c1e2Fs7r0CM1teRsTcDhk_y7o82RLtteIb-8-onjAlfUKWYZ1PmwtFTJhyTuvgRw5P4cAqK0sPWZqo75F5eITSrKWtlGZqd7dAVIrIFou6PCF4tgsPOkfuKg2/s1600-h/100_1283.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251943040899067058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNN2tAmUV4cwEGXq66uT_c1e2Fs7r0CM1teRsTcDhk_y7o82RLtteIb-8-onjAlfUKWYZ1PmwtFTJhyTuvgRw5P4cAqK0sPWZqo75F5eITSrKWtlGZqd7dAVIrIFou6PCF4tgsPOkfuKg2/s400/100_1283.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3CxzefjeNPIiMMFEPM7WjaM1ryttS6172VRGEkEw7F4IRRvqKVXXknjfB0JsEVsYyOSrDLep5nB4rcIXcSxQiT5gOKMqnO5dlTvlLBarmC0CSzxc__boQSVWs8p59-DhQJpgIJTqJFSB1/s1600-h/100_1285.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251943055921011538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3CxzefjeNPIiMMFEPM7WjaM1ryttS6172VRGEkEw7F4IRRvqKVXXknjfB0JsEVsYyOSrDLep5nB4rcIXcSxQiT5gOKMqnO5dlTvlLBarmC0CSzxc__boQSVWs8p59-DhQJpgIJTqJFSB1/s400/100_1285.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a></p><br /><br />Then, we went home and had a party! Mommy made beef carrot muffins with peanut butter zucchini frosting topped with a dollop of yogurt and a strawberry. Both me and my extra furry brother got one. They were YUMMY!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq9Nw76NPsPWXVgf8OGxkGbdLQFUuGPBTbh4YvqucHrHvL3HmOe3aQ9moc4nQMw2HWPhAyq5qDPNFX7EUbSgMShPRwzXGXStIJ_OBMsEc6NclkofG5IBSXCPMAvUao3B-mC1VVfNZKxQzu/s1600-h/100_1304.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251943059573096866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq9Nw76NPsPWXVgf8OGxkGbdLQFUuGPBTbh4YvqucHrHvL3HmOe3aQ9moc4nQMw2HWPhAyq5qDPNFX7EUbSgMShPRwzXGXStIJ_OBMsEc6NclkofG5IBSXCPMAvUao3B-mC1VVfNZKxQzu/s400/100_1304.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"></a></p><br /><br />Do not worry, the choklat syrup is for the hoomans. I know choklat VEWY bad for houndies!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1qaL_nlWsurePUNte3GPIiJtVudcw9G1LLk9xBvXvcq-lVYVaagAnWMFZNbFZU6NJk3mwt_WqwApr6Rl9K57Rglwn4tYwgPLjpM3kDEnMDRgdS3BUZ1qp4WhE1OkxQuYWWfLl_yhj55RL/s1600-h/100_1315.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251943058375903506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1qaL_nlWsurePUNte3GPIiJtVudcw9G1LLk9xBvXvcq-lVYVaagAnWMFZNbFZU6NJk3mwt_WqwApr6Rl9K57Rglwn4tYwgPLjpM3kDEnMDRgdS3BUZ1qp4WhE1OkxQuYWWfLl_yhj55RL/s400/100_1315.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="center">And that is how my day went! =)</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731582424576750429.post-25800188383996811742008-09-30T18:09:00.003-04:002008-09-30T18:14:04.547-04:00Someone Asked~Which Helped Most, Chiropractic Or Homecooked?Someone on the Epil-K e-mail list asked me which I thought helped Henry more in finally being able to reach one full month of no Grand-Mals. I am sharing my answer with all of you~<br /><br /><blockquote><p><br />The diet started first, and he started showing improvement then. The only reason he seized while on the diet was because I tried to change out the steak for chicken. I now know that chicken is a no no for Henry. </p><p>Then we started chiropractic, and he had the expected seizures that go with the first adjustment. That was a nightmare. If we did not know of the ice pack trick, I think Henry might have gone into status epileptus that night. (sp.?) </p><p>Now that Henry has had several chiropractic adjustments and is doing well with holding his adjustments, I think that is helping him stay seizure free. </p><p>Last week, he ate about 1 cup of kitty kibble, that had chicken in it. I was very worried, but, he did not have a Grand-Mal, just a few very mild flycatcher focals that evening. I am quite sure chiropractic is why Henry did not have a Grand-Mal in reaction to the chicken that day. I am continuing homecooked and no chicken regardless. </p></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731582424576750429.post-22582287389158454752008-09-27T20:17:00.020-04:002009-07-20T10:14:19.236-04:00In Loving Memory Of AlfalfaToday is one year since my dear Alfalfa passed on. I have yet to write a memorial for him, so this my first. It's something that just really hurts to talk about, but I think once I do it, I will finally feel better. I want everyone to know what a great dog he was, and how blessed I was to have a dog like him.<br /><br />So I'm just going to start at the beginning. Alfalfa came into the shelter one day, with the man who had saved his life. (I worked at this shelter) The man came in, holding Alfalfa (still a pup) in his arms, and looked all through our kennels. He then walked up to one of the staff, and tears proceeded to stream down his cheeks, as he told the staff member how he had found the pup.<br /><br />He was pumping gas one day, and heard crying. He looked around, and he saw Alfalfa, a little teeny baby, nearly starved to death, too young to be away from Mama, all curled up and near death. The man picked up the pup, and took him to the vet asap. Alfalfa stayed at the vet until he was well enough, and then the man took Alalfa to his trailer and named him Petro, after the gas station he found him at. (sometimes I think I should have kept that name, seeing as to how it signified the story)<br /><br />Anyways, the trailer this man lived in, was the kind you pull behind your truck. It was itty bitty and the man was a traveling man. As Alfalfa grew, the man felt selfish by keeping Alfalfa when he had no big yard and etc. Alfalfa was a pointer mix, and yes, he was VERY high energy.<br /><br />So the man drove from shelter to shelter, trying to find a shelter he felt comfortable leaving Alalfa at. He went to many, many shelters, and he was not comfortable with any of them.<br /><br />Until one day he came to our shelter, and he knew it was time. We never saw a man cry so hard about giving up his pup. He very sincerely loved Alfalfa, and I am sure to this day that man wonders about Alfalfa. I always wonder if somehow I'll cross paths with that man. That man poured alot of love into Alfalfa.<br /><br />Alfalfa was really sad when the man left him. All the shelter staff fell in love with Alfalfa right away. It was decided we would do whatever it takes to find this pup a home, and that this pup would NOT be euthanized like many others unfortunately were.<br /><br />Alfalfa was at the shelter for SIX months. Noone wanted him. I suspect it was his tail, it curled up. I think that put people off and they didn't give him a chance. If that's the reason, I am really GLAD he had that tail, or I might have missed out on the World's Greatest Dog. The staff were bugging me for quite some time to take Alfalfa home with me. I was trying to avoid having dogs as I was in a relationship I needed to get out of. They all cheered when I finally decided to take Alfalfa home.<br /><br />Anyways, we had some great times. He LOVED water. I would go swimming with him regularly when warm enough. The happiest moments in my life were when I was in the water with Alfalfa. He was my best friend.<br /><br />A month after I adopted Alfalfa, I brought home Riley, for JUST the weekend, cause he had been at the shelter for several months and needed a break. Riley and Alfalfa were good playmates before I brought Alfalfa home, and they were thrilled to see each other again. I took Riley back to the shelter the following Monday, and Alfalfa slunk into a deep depression, just like when the man left him. So at 3 am, me and Alfalfa went to the shelter and picked up Riley to come home with us for good! I left a note on the desk so my coworkers would know why Riley was missing. They just laughed.<br /><br />I mentioned earlier that I was in a bad relationship at the time when I adopted Alfalfa. When this man would lift a hand to me, Alfalfa would stand between us. You could tell he was afraid, but he just couldn't stand by while this man hit me. So he stood between us. Whenever I cried, Alfalfa would walk up to me, look at me, come in real close and put his head on my shoulder. Only dog in the world who has ever done that for me. He would gulp as if he was crying with me.<br /><br />When he was 18 months old, the dogs were in the yard, and I was sitting on the patio. Alfalfa got the gate open by jumping on the latch just right. It was a BIG yard, and by the time I got up to get them, Riley had taken off like a shot, and Alfalfa followed him. Long story short, I found Riley safe and sound several hours later, and then in the wee hours of the morning, I found Alfalfa on the side of the highway, near death. Me and my friend immediately loaded up Alfalfa into her SUV, and hauled off to the vet as fast as we could. The injuries were very massive, and I am amazed this dog survived. He fractured his jaw and skull in multiple places, one side of him was ripped wide open, and he was 100% black and blue, and I could not even find his teeth becase his mouth was so swollen.<br /><br />I told the vet if he could not save this dog that I would go dig a hole and curl up in it and die. I told the vet, you can NOT let this dog die. Talk about putting some pressure on the vet! Alfalfa seizured for several hours as the vet attempted to work on him and sew up his side.<br /><br />Alfalfa was hit by a car on a Saturday, very early AM. Except for a very brief visit on Sunday, the vet would not let me see Alfalfa until his office was open on Monday. I stayed wide awake and did not get one wink of sleep, until Monday morning, when I crawled into Alfalfa's cage at the vet, wrapped my body ever so carefully around his, and went to sleep. I slept all the way until the vet closed that evening. I did not know I was pregnant at the time. (!!!!!)<br /><br />He had some surgery later on, to attach all the loose fragments of his skull and jaw.<br /><br />When he was well enough, he came home. I took pictures, but kept chickening out on developing the film. Never did develop that film. Shortly after coming home, he had his first seizure, and continued to have them occasionally throughout his life. He made a remarkable recovery considering the extent of his injuries.<br /><br />When Alfalfa was 3, my then boyfriend had an upcoming court hearing for several charges related to drinking. I wrote the judge a letter, and said, you give this man 6 months in jail, and I promise you, I will take the opportunity to get me and this child out of here. Guess what? The judge gave him EXZACTLY 6 months. And I gottheheackouttadodge! We moved over two thousand miles away. Alfalfa no longer had to stand between me and that jerk when he would threaten to hit me.<br /><br />Life got much better after that. For awhile, we lived near a small lake. It was in walking distance. We would walk over there every day. One day, Alfalfa decided he didn't want to wait until we got to the shore part, and instead, he leapt off the cliff, and did a 20 foot dive into the water. I will never forget the sight as long as I live. I thought the impact of the water would render him unconscious. Especially with all the surgery that had been done on his skull. I immediately tied my toddler son to a tree with the dog leash by the back of his overalls, and prepared to jump in the water. Amazingly, Alfalfa seemed fine and was having a blast swimming around. I am telling you, the dog was INSANE. Now Alfalfa had to see if he could make it alllll the way over to shore. I was still on the ready, prepared to jump in the water at any given moment. I called Alfalfa over to the right direction towards shore. I hollered andhollered and encouraged and yelled and encouraged. He made it. My throat was hoarse for the rest of that day. Crazy, crazy dog.<br /><br />He was with us for 12 wonderful years. In his last years, he developed diabetes, and became blind. He was a real trooper through all his twice day shots. He knew after he ate was time for his shot, and he would come lean his side on me and brace himself for his shot. Clearly he knew the shot was medicine that he needed. There were a few times his glucose got out of whack, and sometimes when I took him in, the vet was amazed Alfalfa was still conscious, never mind able to walk into the vet on his own. Diabetics glucose can go out of whack very quickly. We managed his diabetes for 4 years.<br /><br />One day, he was unable to walk anymore. I took him to the vet, we did x-rays. We tried stronger arthritis meds. Nothing worked. I was sleeping downstairs with Alfalfa on his bed every night, and he would cry, every night.<br /><br />One morning we knew it was time. We called the vet, and asked him to please come to our house to euthanize Alfalfa.<br /><br />I believe he could have easily given up and died from the massive injuries he suffered when hit by a car 10 years eariler, but he willed himself to live, because he knew how much I needed him. And when his day came to die, I hurt so very badly. I walked out to the porch where he could not hear me, I burst out sobbing, and I talked to God, and I told Him, I did not have the strength to get through this without being a big mess. I asked God, please help me hold it together until Alfalfa is safe with you. I do not want him to feel he needs to stay alive for me. I then felt a calm come over me, and a warmth, like I was being hugged, and it was very comforting, and gave me a security. Words can't describe it.<br /><br />I walked into the house, and I talked to Alfalfa, and I told him thank you, for what you did for me. I told Alfalfa, I'm OK now. I am safe now. I told him it was OK to go ahead and be with my Dad. (my father was my best friend and passed away when I was 9)<br /><br />I managed to hold it together, and Alfalfa died almost as soon as the euthanasia was administered. Alfalfa died in my arms, very quickly, at home, on his bed, that we had slept together on for so many nights. I held it together for a few moments longer, Riley came over and licked Alfalfa on the face, and then I let loose.<br /><br />I became very stressed after Alfalfa's passing. I couldn't eat, and when I did, I threw up. I couldn't sleep, and I had constant headaches. Riley, his lifetime companion of 12 years, went into a deep depression.<br /><br />Me and my husband knew, Alfalfa would want the spot in our home to not be wasted, and go to another special needs dog. We adopted Henry Oct. 27th, exzactly one month after Alfalfa died. My health quickly improved. I will always miss Alfalfa terribly, but I am so blessed, for the time I had with him.<br /><br />Unfortunately I did not have a digital camera when Alfalfa was young, so I only have pictures of Alfalfa in his older years on the computer. Some day I will have his pictures of when he was young scanned at the grocery store and I will add them to the pictures below.<br /><br />Alfalfa always wanted to be near the children. When I felt the children were being too noisy, I would tell them to play somewhere else, and Alfalfa would just get up, walk over to where the kids were, and lay down in between them. He loved the children very much. <a href="http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r266/EmilyAnne74/?action=view&current=01270006-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r266/EmilyAnne74/01270006-1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />No matter how old Alfalfa was, he LOVED to go camping!<br /><a href="http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r266/EmilyAnne74/?action=view&current=camping004-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r266/EmilyAnne74/camping004-1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r266/EmilyAnne74/?action=view&current=Alfalfaswimming-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r266/EmilyAnne74/Alfalfaswimming-1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r266/EmilyAnne74/?action=view&current=020_6A.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r266/EmilyAnne74/020_6A.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r266/EmilyAnne74/?action=view&current=006_20A-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r266/EmilyAnne74/006_20A-1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />The day before he passed on.<br /><a href="http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r266/EmilyAnne74/?action=view&current=01270012-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r266/EmilyAnne74/01270012-1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Saying good bye.=(<br /><a href="http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r266/EmilyAnne74/?action=view&current=01270020-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r266/EmilyAnne74/01270020-1.jpg" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731582424576750429.post-36492658609564545512008-09-17T17:10:00.002-04:002008-09-17T17:11:58.478-04:00Another Chiropractic Adjustment..Yesterday Henry had another Chiropractic adjustment yesterday. All went well, and no seizures afterwards! =)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731582424576750429.post-36602232905180676682008-09-03T09:07:00.003-04:002008-09-12T14:53:36.934-04:00WOW!!!No Grand-Mals last night!!!!!! Yay!!!! I did Ocular Compression, and I also gave Henry some ice cubes to munch on at bedtime to get his body temp. down in hopes it helps.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731582424576750429.post-20158745779533793182008-09-02T22:08:00.002-04:002008-09-09T19:53:10.866-04:00Ocular CompressionI have been doing something called Occular Compression, in hopes of warding off any seizures that may happen in this 24 hours. Let's hope I'm doing it right and it does the trick.<br /><br />You can read more about it <a href="http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/Ocularcompression.html#anchor1509372">here</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731582424576750429.post-77580935451036211262008-09-02T13:13:00.002-04:002008-09-02T13:18:30.861-04:00Prayers and Good Thoughts AppreciatedHenry was chiropracticly adjusted again today, at 11 AM. He's resting comfortably. I am super cleaning the house, getting everything ready just in case he clusters again. <br /><br />The chiro said Henry was not as out of alignment this time. That shows promise. Focal Flycatchers have 100% dissapeared by the way.<br /><br />I really appreciate that noone has ever criticized our approach. (and just so everyone knows, I do not consider expressions of concern to be criticism)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731582424576750429.post-49220886304216481572008-08-30T08:43:00.002-04:002008-08-30T08:48:10.771-04:00Update...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji3PnUOiiS19NHElJkfXJTBdvw7CRKGvnTq0t1PIP3zHWKVdmF-RPZRn0RdYDRGIoUB2cAb4tQHq-TwkOWF2bcKWTB0XuYjCNQXL3eJvaCY56NDQ4u0ebVzz-iQNvqhYmVUz6cey4F8K6G/s1600-h/100_1091.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji3PnUOiiS19NHElJkfXJTBdvw7CRKGvnTq0t1PIP3zHWKVdmF-RPZRn0RdYDRGIoUB2cAb4tQHq-TwkOWF2bcKWTB0XuYjCNQXL3eJvaCY56NDQ4u0ebVzz-iQNvqhYmVUz6cey4F8K6G/s400/100_1091.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240290707342498994" /></a><br /><br />No more Grand-Mals, it has now been over 24 hours! Also, no Flycatcher Focal Seizures either! I know the Grand-Mals he had yesterday were very likely the result of the chiropractic adjustments, and please understand, (I know this can be hard to wrap one's brain around) that it actually is a GOOD sign. It means that the chiropractor targeted the CORRECT spots. The chiropractor explains it a world better than I can. Basically in the long run, after a few more adjustments, Henry should do much better.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731582424576750429.post-29627767731701049162008-08-29T09:39:00.011-04:002008-08-29T17:42:33.974-04:00And Another...When a pet has more than one Grand-Mal in a 24 hour period, it is referred to as Cluster Seizures. Cluster seizures are not to be taken lightly. <br /><br />Henry had another Grand-Mal at 4:55am. It was different from most Grand-Mals. For one thing, the ice pack took a few seconds longer to take effect. Then he got up, and started lunging at the walls. I barricaded him in a 4 foot by 4 foot corner of the bedroom next to the bed. He then settled for trying to lunge in the corner next to the dresser. He then stood rigid with back arched and bit down on the dresser and his mouth chomping on it in a surreal manner. His face looked like a werewolf. With one hand I held the ice-pack on his back, and with my other arm I wrapped it around his chest trying to hold him back from chomping on the dresser and lunging. Seizuring dogs are STRONG! Fortunately once I put the ice-pack on (second time during this Grand-mal) it did not last much longer.<br /><br />It's interesting that he was adjusted in two places, and had two Grand-mals. I believe this indicates the right spots were targeted for Henry's epilepsy. It's supposed to be worse before it gets better. I sure hope from here on out he improves. <br /><br />Henry seems unsure of himself. He's been acting this way since the adjustment, like he knows something is different. He's not showing any pain at all from the adjustment and never did.<br /><br />He's being very sweet, giving me lots of kisses.<br /><br />I am keeping him very quiet today. I am glad to have a playroom for the kids.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731582424576750429.post-31545339411246359962008-08-29T00:48:00.005-04:002008-08-29T01:13:45.848-04:00Another...I wanted so much to get the stupid ice pack in effect on VIDEO. Yes, once again, Henry seized. (Grand-Mal) I have had the camera in a handy dandy spot for over two weeks now, on the ready to video the next one. I dont know how those people on You Tube must manage to get videos of their dogs Grand-Mals, I swear they must all know some kind of houdini magic. <br /><br />Anyways, Henry shook all the way from his bed to the door frame 3 feet away, and was violently hitting the door frame, WHACK, WHACK, WHACK, crazy fast. I RUN for that ice bag, and then go to grab the camera which is SUPPOSED to be within my reach except my husband took it and was fumbling with it before I turned it on for him. Too late, video lost. I wasn't gonna have Henry continue whacking that door frame with such extreme violence like that. I had to forget about the video. So let me just narrate the events for you instead.<br /><br />~Henry goes into crazy violent Grand-Mal, reverberating several feet away from his orignal spot.<br /><br />~I run for ice-pack.<br /><br />~I place it on Bull's Eye spot.<br /><br />~Before I can count to two, he stops reverberating all over the place.<br /><br />~He then tried to walk, but had great difficulty. (Reaching for #$%^%$# not where it was supposed to be camera made me lose precious seconds so post-ictal was a little worse than usual) <br /><br />~He makes it to the kitchen. Laying on his tummy, he starts peeing and pouping and his legs are paddling like crazy in splayed out fashion. It's not the same crazy Grand-Mal reverberating all over the place like before, but it's still definately a Grand-Mal. <br /><br />~Grab the ice bag again, place it on Bull's Eye spot.<br /><br />~Presto, stops before I can count to two.<br /><br />~Henry then gets up, with difficulty, I manage to get Henry outside. (This time he had some actual post-ictal). He ran into the garage. I gently went to get him by the collar, and he jumped out of his skin and snapped at me in confusion. He ran medium speed outside for about ten-fifteen minutes. (Without ice-pack, he runs full speed for over an hour smacking into things full force)<br /><br />Let me re-enforce to you all, every single second in getting that ice pack absolutely counts! <br /><br />Sorry I sound so grumpy. Even a little bit of Post-Ictal is a BEAR and those of you who have experienced it know what I mean! And this is 80# of Post-Ictal!<br /><br /><br />OK, now, onto something I should have posted about earlier....<br /><br />Chiropractic! <br /><br />Henry had his first chiropractic adustment this afternoon. He had two adjustments done for today. He goes back in one week for more. I was warned before hand, that often epileptic dogs will have a Grand-Mal within 24 hours after their first chiropractic adjustment. And then there is improvement after that, sometimes no more seizures ever. (with cont'd diligent care such as diet and etc.)<br /><br />I will re-set the count up clock tomorrow morning. I need to go apologize to my husband for snapping at him, and go to bed.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731582424576750429.post-27799673482371622332008-08-13T18:29:00.001-04:002008-08-14T09:09:05.370-04:00New Epilepsy Awareness Blog!<a href="http://healthyhoundz.blogspot.com/">Check it out!</a> <--- click on thereUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731582424576750429.post-77709347996941739672008-08-12T09:17:00.002-04:002008-08-12T09:33:32.278-04:00Starting A New Blog Soon...I am going to be starting a new blog soon. This blog (The BARF Blog) chronicles our journey as we tried several diets and learned by experience what triggers seizures and what stops/prevents them and etc. I learned the hard way what works and what does not. It would have spared Henry of so much if I would have known all that I do now back when I first adopted him. Though I can't rewind time, I can share this info with others in hopes it helps them.<br /><br />I would like to do a 'condensed' blog now that I know alot more than I did when I started The BARF Blog. A blog explaining about Flagyl and why vets don't warn us about increased risk of seizures, how the research was done, etc. Also about why raw can be a bad idea for a dog with epilepsy, meats and veggies that have a 'cooling' effect, taurine, vitamin B, and etc., etc.<br /><br />I haven't figured out a name for the new blog yet. This blog will not just be about Henry, but also about Lucky, a greyhound whose diet we are mimicing. Both Henry and Lucky are having wonderful improvement with the diet. <br /><br />I will be posting Lucky's recipe in the sidebar, and then I will post Henry's almost identical recipe as well. <br /><br />I would love to see the circle of dogs who benefit from all this grow larger and larger. This helps get the word out more and more.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731582424576750429.post-84131025264360250702008-08-11T16:31:00.006-04:002008-08-11T21:09:47.993-04:00Figuring Henry Out More & More<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyWsiCjhLP7hqFr5EW7V9oj9uyCt69TGD1tZHdDgP80JWFeqBOdAzuiIUjhMIAzzMZnrAjd1b52hBaWR3rmK4HiWClnfo4Lf_MXTwj4FRYaGnmaTcnVz9jucdEZauyksiJM41ZwpvmByFe/s1600-h/100_0981.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyWsiCjhLP7hqFr5EW7V9oj9uyCt69TGD1tZHdDgP80JWFeqBOdAzuiIUjhMIAzzMZnrAjd1b52hBaWR3rmK4HiWClnfo4Lf_MXTwj4FRYaGnmaTcnVz9jucdEZauyksiJM41ZwpvmByFe/s400/100_0981.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233426800555513714" /></a><br /><br />When I started the <a href="http://thebarfblog-emily.blogspot.com/search/label/homecooked">home-cooked diet</a>, I still had a few un-resolved questions about Henry and what his triggers are. First of all, I wasn't sure about the dairy in the diet. For *some* epi-dogs, it can be a <a href="http://thebarfblog-emily.blogspot.com/search/label/list%20of%20seizure%20triggers">trigger</a>. Clearly for Henry, it is not! =) <br /><br />I also was not sure if Henry had a sensitivity to chicken, or if he had a sensitivity to antibiotics in meat. (antibiotics are a definate trigger for Henry)<br /><br />For the first 22 days, Henry ate organic beef. I then switched to organic chcken, and I fed him a raw chicken neck Friday evening. The raw chicken neck was a BIG no-no. He had a grand-mal the next day. I then proceeded to continue to feed him the cooked chicken I started that same evening I gave him the raw neck, and made note not to *ever* feed him raw anything ever again. <br /><br />Henry then had flycatchers last night. It helps me that Henry no longer has daily flycatchers in that when he *does* have flycatchers, I look at what he has had in the last 24 hours and do some detective work with his diet. Today Henry is going back on the beef. No more chicken for Henry.<br /><br />Lucky however, the greyhound's diet we are impersonating, does not do well on beef. He gets chicken instead. There's some trial and error involved in figuring out your individual epi-dog, and then you tweak the recipe accordingly.<br /><br />Lucky & Henry's recipes are identical, except in that we use different meat.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731582424576750429.post-74176822447456129182008-08-09T18:10:00.004-04:002008-08-09T18:25:47.165-04:00Well, He Made It 23 Days This TimeHenry had a grand-mal this afternoon. Started out extremely violent. I grabbed the ice pack, wanted to grab the camera, but Henry was really flying and about to fall off the couch. So I couldn't get it on video. <br /><br />This time he hurt himself in his mouth, and there was quite a bit of blood. I can't find exactly where in his mouth he hurt himself. I think he bit the bottom of his tongue. The bleeding has ended. <br /><br />Anyways, remember how many of you helped me figure out the ice pack needs to be placed higher on Henry's spine? Well I did that this time, and even with the grand-mal of this magnitude, I still had better results. He didn't even need to make a bowel movement at all during the grand-mal. He made his bowel movement outside *after* the seizure was fully over.<br /><br />I think the trigger was a raw chicken neck I gave him yesterday. I was hoping since it was organic it would be OK. No more chicken necks for Henry. <br /><br />I anxiously await to see if Henry can make it longer next time. I really hate re-starting the countup clock all over. =(Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731582424576750429.post-63976884519217208682008-08-05T08:54:00.005-04:002008-12-11T19:35:13.519-05:00Common Ice Pack MistakesI would like to address some common mistakes that limit the effectiveness of the ice pack trick. <br /><br />~Use crushed ice, not cubed ice. You need it to form to the back.<br /><br />~Periodically check the bag of ice to make sure it is not stuck in a clump. Break up as needed.<br /><br />~Do NOT use frozen veggies. Seriously! If you want *BEST* results, use what is *coldest*, which is ICE. Nothing will be colder than a bag of crushed ice. Do not use special cooler packs made to keep your cooler cold either. For BEST results, use crushed ice. You have found veggies to be effective? Great! Ice will work even BETTER! <br /><br />~Apply it as QUICKLY as possible.<br /><br />~If you have a long haired breed, you will need to part the hair well so there isn't a bunch of fur between the ice pack and the back.<br /><br />~For easy reference of where the ice pack goes, I am re-posting the diagram.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Xs-hXg6TTknQndeMX74sk3M5TigCRZNlghWK5j_ARJWFOYTdWvMMDO9HNx1Z3nUb45RmRMcHY6aaZPiN4v4DZ0E4yVqYz2UtFe2gNAi0mo8t6Mb86Klyn-w1z8TTXfYu5O3ci1MeB75u/s1600-h/skelto6.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231017931477283746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Xs-hXg6TTknQndeMX74sk3M5TigCRZNlghWK5j_ARJWFOYTdWvMMDO9HNx1Z3nUb45RmRMcHY6aaZPiN4v4DZ0E4yVqYz2UtFe2gNAi0mo8t6Mb86Klyn-w1z8TTXfYu5O3ci1MeB75u/s400/skelto6.png" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0